The only illumination was the brazier within the room, and its glow at the door was feeble. He saw the figure raise its arms up and walk, almost stumble, into the room. Strands of hair in disarray caught the orange glow of the fire.
“My children!” the figure sighed. And fell on top of him.
He had been embraced again. Embraced by a gloved hand and cold leather sleeve. She smelled a little bit of horse, and a little bit of the kind of beautiful nostalgia that one has when one opens a long closed book. A trace of perfume. Her hair on his face; a few strands fell into his mouth. And he felt the softness of her cold cheeks on his, and the feel of water drops on his week long fuzz.
She was sobbing. She held him with one arm, Narumi with the other, and she sobbed.
“I thought I would never see this sight again,” she cried, her voice steady, only breaking now and then on syllables at the end. As if she was crying tears of relief. “I didn’t think - I never thought - I’d not be there when my boy woke up. My boy, my sweet boy. Did you take care of your brother, Narumi?”
“Yes, mumma,” she was crying too. Hot tears, and shaking sobs.
This family cries a lot, he thought. Was he not part of it, because he wasn’t crying? He felt guilty - yet again, another woman was crying for him and he didn’t even know how she looked.
“Jun!” she waved to the other shadows at the door. “Jun, please light a candle here. Let me see my boy’s face!”
Jun, as if already waiting with the candles outside, lit them within half a minute with quiet footsteps into the center of the room. The two candlesticks poured a glow on the face of the figure - no, the woman that was his mother.
And she was beautiful.
For a long, whole moment he kept staring at her and found himself without the ability to speak, being lost in her beauty. Her long, dark hair was disarrayed as if she had walked through a storm; she was panting as if she had been running; she had on a riding hat and she wore a leather jacket and pants with both her legs dangling out from Narumi’s side of the bed. Her lips were red (perhaps a lipstick?) and her eyes the same shade of green-grey as her daughter’s, but the edges were red, as if they were distraught, lachrymose in the cold outside.
She placed a hand on his cheek, and brought her head close till his forehead touched her cheek. And she gave it a kiss.
“I never stopped hoping, son. I am sorry. I have to start with that,” she said. “And now give your mother a hug. Come on. Lean in. Yes, that’s right.” She put her arms around him to embrace, and kept tightening it slowly till she was squeezing him as hard as she could and pulling his face closer and closer to her chest.
“Aaarggh!” Kuro screamed.
“Oh, you forgot your mother’s hug, did you? I’m going to squeeze you, my little boy. My little baby boy. Come take your mother’s love!”
“Okay!” Kuro stuttered through. “Okay. That’s hurting me. Please, stop. Okay, mother. Enough, mother! Please!”
“Haha,” she sighed. “Oh, I’m so happy. Oh, you want my hugs, huh, Narumi?”
They laughed and tumbled on the bed. Mother gave the same squeezing treatment, coupled with tickles to Narumi’s belly.
Shizue Karahashi, Ylinat said.
“Hey, Kurocchi! I didn’t see his black fur in that corner. Come here, kitty. Meow.” She reached around him to grab the cat.
Shit, the cat said.
“Viscountess,” Jun said. “Should I prepare bathing water for …?”
“Make it here,” Mother said. “Oh and don’t go around trying to wear your work clothes in the middle of the night! I don’t want to leave my children. Yoko, get my clothes from my room - please, bring something simple. And maybe also bring another pillow - I think three can sleep on this bed. Serizawa, the horses … were left near the gate. Also, please reward the young man who guided me. The usual. In fact, get him a place to sleep. He may want to tend to the horses himself.”
“You do smell of horses, kaa-san!”
“How rude, Narumi!”
They bowed and thanked her, and Jun welcomed her back again, before heading off.
“How did you come back so quickly?” Narumi asked.
“Messages can travel between Spring Breeze Hall and Castle Hisaka within a day,” she said. “I thought, why can’t I? So, I traveled by post. Packed a bag and hopped on horses. Left today morning, and I’m here - though there was a bit of rain - that slowed me down. Or was that yesterday, the message? Ahaha, your mother hasn’t slept for a while.”
“You’re crazy,” Kuro said.
She punched him lightly in the shoulder and said, “I rode horses all day long, and that’s what you say to your mother?” And then she quietened, and looked at him with a soft smile. “Just let me look at you, boy. Or should I say, young man! I am amazed. I always saw you here on this bed, sleeping. I knew you were growing - I’d cut your hair, and give you a shave - but look at you now!”
“He’s lost all his memories,” Narumi said.
“Yes, I read that in your letter. Doctor Ryomon wrote a hasty note. Umm,” she furrowed her forehead and bit her lip - in a similar manner to Narumi. “How.. How much do you not remember?”
“Almost everything,” Kuro replied.
Her mask of gaiety broke for the first time. “Everything?”
“I’m learning. As fast as I can,” Kuro said.
“I’m helping him!” Narumi cried. “Just remind him of things!”
“What’s …” Mother paused for a moment. “What’s my name?”
Kuro looked down at the black fur on the quilt. “Shizue Karahashi.”
Her lower lip trembled, and she reached over once again towards him. She hugged him, and this time he looked over to Narumi.
Then, Mother started bawling her eyes out. “I am so GLAD!” she cried. “I am so happy!”
A cry that was full of loud heaves and occasional gobbledygook of words slurred by affection. It was a cry you would expect from a child.
Even Narumi couldn’t help her laugh, but she quickly covered her mouth with her hands.
Kuro just patted on her back with an expression of utter astonishment and disbelief.
“Viscountess, the bath has been prepared.”
“Thank you, Jun,” she said from behind Kuro’s shoulder. “I’m gonna cry on my son’s shoulder now. You may go. Did Yoko leave the clothes?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“That will be all, but it will early day for us tomorrow. We might have to leave by evening.”
Jun concerned raise of an eyebrow wasn’t betrayed by his voice. “Yes, ma’am.”
After Jun was gone, she gave a little sneeze and declared that the brazier needed more wood, and that after she was done stoking the fire, she would go take a bath.
She sang a tune inside the bath, as Narumi asked Kuro, “So, … what did you think?”
“About her?”
Narumi nodded.
“She is … She is… Umm..”
“Magical”
“A whirlwind. Is she always like this?”
“Almost always, yes.”
“I can hear you both!” Mother shouted from inside.
She came out wearing a simple white robe, shivering and saying “It’s cold, it’s so cold.” She jumped inside the bed, barely missing his right foot under the quilt, and slid straight in between them, pulling them both in a side hug with her arms behind their heads. Kuro realized where the daughter had gotten the penchant for hugs from. She smelled nice; not even a trace of horse remained. Only that perfume.
They wished each other good night, and she was fast asleep.
Tired. As one would be.
If she had left early in the morning, that was a riding time of eighteen hours. Who would do such a reckless thing?
For some reason, he couldn’t get her face out of his mind. It was enchanting. She was beautiful like others were not beautiful. But he decided that this was all too much to think, and feeling grateful to have a found a family, Kuro slept beside the woman that was his mother.
And, for the first time in a while, didn’t think about what he knew or didn’t, or what he was or wasn’t. Sleep took him in the present tense.
